Waseca Learning Environment

My three children attend Waseca and I fully recommend this school, the teachers and programs within. My children are far ahead of grade level academically, they all began to read as 4 year olds, and truly have developed their natural curiosity and love for learning thanks to the lead and assistant guides year after year. Waseca is more than a wonderful academic center, it is also a second home. My children have all struggled at various phases with emotional leaps, transition or separation anxiety; waseca remains steadfast and secure. The teachers work WITH parents to make sure we remain on the same team and support the child in similar ways both at home and in the classroom. My children feel safe, loved, supported, and free to express their needs in their classrooms and to their guides. Guise and administration are transparent and always available for honest conversation and feedback. I've noticed that certain children thrive and some struggle in Montessori environments. I was prepared for my neurodivergent kids to need more structure and less freedom of choice but have been beyond thrilled that their guides have patiently taught them how to manage their time and work. They are thriving. One of my children is audhd, one adhd, and the third is just a bursting ray of fire and light at all times who will not be dimmed. I am eternally grateful to the teachers especially in primary and elementary for their dedication, unwavering support, and investment in our children. I'm so excited for the future of the new elementary campus and cannot wait to recommend this program to more friends.

We are wrapping up our final week at Waseca this week and I felt compelled to leave a review. This has been the most wonderful nurturing school experience I could have imagined for both of my kids and myself for the last 5 years. The two teachers we had while at Waseca were amazing, thoughtful and so loving. My kids are very different and I felt like the school put a lot of thought into which teachers were best for their personalities. My son has since gone on to attend public school and arrived very well prepared and adjusted so well. I am going to miss this community so much, but know the lessons my kids learned from their wonderful teachers will stick with them forever. If you are looking for a safe, loving, educational environment for your kiddos early school years I can't recommend Waseca enough.

Waseca was and is near and dear to my heart. It was the perfect place for the time that we were there. Ultimately, my very adhd child left waseca and moved on to public school. It was a hard transition for us to leave, it felt like home. There were lots of meetings and I truly feel that the teachers in the pre primary class guided us to where we needed to be. I will not deny that the ending felt a little rough for us at the time, as if we were being pushed out to a degree. Mostly because I was not ready to leave the community that I and my child had grown to love so much and that loved us back. Once we moved to public school my child blossomed, as his pre primary teacher new he would. My child is in gifted and makes great grades. I attribute some of that to the things my child learned in his pre primary class. My child was exposed to important math and reading skills at a critical time in his development. These skills set him up for success and kept him from getting lost in an overly large class at an age that mattered most. We still miss the day to day of our Waseca community but the friendships we made have lasted. I know waseca was the best place for my child while we were there and when we left, it was time for us to move on. I am confident that my other child will also spend time learning at Waseca when she is ready and will leave when she needs to move on.

I've had children at Waseca for 11 years. From the infant room through upper elementary, I could not have been happier with the loving care they received. Waseca's teachers guide and nurture their students, helping them to grow not only academically, but as whole people. As a public school teacher and staunch supporter of public schools, I made the decision to keep my kids at Waseca even when they could have attended an excellent public school because the skills they build and the lessons the learned there have allowed them to grow into compassionate, independent, thoughtful humans. My oldest child's transition to public school was seamless and his preparation was complete. I will always be grateful to our teachers from infant through elementary for the foundation they provided for my kids.

Bottom line, up front: There is no school that compares to Waseca; there are no other teachers that compare to Waseca's. My daughter started Waseca in the pre-primary room in January 2021, after being out of school/daycare system since March 2020. She was nonverbal and immunopcompromised, and it was a *very* scary time to start a new school. However, we had been advised by her therapy teams that she needed the daily, social support that a school could offer. At our initial observation and meeting, the director (at the time) told us the story of her children's experience at Waseca. There may have been some tears shed (there were). She knew exactly where we were, and she addressed our concerns not just as a school director but as a former parent in the Waseca community. Our daughter started a few days later. Although she would kick and scream as I dropped her off in the mornings, she came home each day absolutely BURSTING with joy (even her speech therapist was shocked at the strides in her language). Seeing the tremendous development that happened over the course of a WEEK, we decided to place our son on the waitlist for the primary classroom. We were able to enroll our son in Fall 2021, and I can say—without a moment's hesistation—that nearly every. SINGLE. experience at Waseca has been suffused with the same love, care, understanding, and joy of that first week. My children have been with teachers who love them and know them like we do. I didn't think that we would be able to top the experience of the primary classrooms, but the elementary classroom has exceeded all of our (high) expectations. Our children have blossomed at Waseca: The games they make up, the creativity they show, the deep understanding of mathematical and language concepts they display, their empathy and kindness, I could go on and on, but most importantly, they are met every day *where they are* and as *who they are*. Thank you, Ashley, Scarlet, Melissa, and the entire Waseca faculty for everything you have done for the families in this community.